More Teaspoons!

Apparently, I get excited about teaspoons lately. Now, I am in love with these, they would be perfect for a Summer party!

Baby O, you have got mail!

Since we announced that we were expecting a baby we have received so much support and excitement from everybody, it has been amazing to see how much loved we are. And Baby O is going to get all this love, and more. A few days ago my mum told me that now Baby O has the priority on everything and that I come second, not something an only child like me is used to hearing! :) But it is true. When I was sick and couldn't move from either my bed or the bathroom, all I could think of was Baby O's health, not mine. It's incredible how things can change when you become a mother, or are close to become one. 

My mum is dying to start buying things for her little grandchild but until we know the sex I have asked her to wait. I am getting impatient too but hopefully in just a couple of weeks we will know whether we are having a boy or a girl and then we can go crazy shopping. This, however, hasn't prevented our sweet friends from sending us some gifts. 

The first gift came from the parents-to-be Steph and Andrew; they bought us a lovely book to help us decide on the baby's name. I have to say, so far we haven't been successful. We have a rule, namely that the name must sound nicely both in Italian and English, but other than that, we cannot agree on anything. Also, Rob refuses to talk baby names until we find out the sex, while that's the only thing I want to talk about these days. It won't be easy! 

And then a couple of days ago we received a lovely package from our good friend Jen. The package came from the MOMA Store and in it we found a gift for mama and one for Baby O, sorry nothing for you Rob...if I come second, you definitely come third! For me Jen picked these lovely teaspoons that I had on my Dear Santa list. Aren't they super cute? I was actually hoping Rob could collect them in one of his trips to NYC, but Jen came first, thank you friend! And for Baby O there was a set of cool animal cards. I have played with Rob already and we had fun, let's hope Baby O is just as silly as us. When I called Jen to thank her, she told me that she wanted to send something to make me feel a bit better given all the sickness I had been going through. I thought it was an amazing gesture.

It's great to have friends like you and baby O is lucky to be spoiled by all of us!

Spring Has Sprung

We have been having amazing weather here in London, I love Spring, but this is not really what I am referring to in the title of this post. 

Week 17 has brought a little bit of a bump explosion, at least that's how it feels to me. You the judge:

And I am slowly starting to feel better and therefore more energetic. Today I got in the mail the prenatal fitness DVD that I ordered on Amazon and that my good friend Steph highly recommend. Perhaps I can give it a try this weekend together with some long strolls at the park! I will let you know how it goes...

Week 16: The week of butterflies

Every week brings something new and the 16th week for me has been the week of the butterflies. I entered the week on Wednesday and that same evening I started to feel something in my belly. It's definitely not the baby kicking yet, too early for that, but after some reading I understood that it's not just air in my stomach but it is indeed the baby moving, and I must say, Baby O moves a lot! It's an interesting feeling, as anything with pregnancy. It feels like my stomach has been filled with water and there are things floating in there. It's not painful at all, perhaps a tiny bit uncomfortable. But then when you think that that is your baby having fun in there, it all becomes acceptable! 

This week I have also learnt that unfortunately I haven't said goodbye to nausea for good. The last couple of days have been atrocious. Oh well, it's part of the game, I guess. One thing, however, that I have decided to do, is to give some more thoughts on what I am going to wear. I have to say, it is not easy to dress up when you feel crap and don't look good. But if you pay no attention to what you are wearing and you don't look after yourself, you are just going to look even more miserable. 

So tip number one for Vale: add some colour to your wardrobe (hopefully the transition to Spring will help as my Winter clothes are all navy, grey and black!) and wear a little bit of make up if you are too pale or your eye shadows are just too big!

I am still not wearing tight clothes so my belly is not that visible...but that's my style in general. Maybe I'll get better at that!

Vale 16 weeks + 4 days (front)

Vale 16 weeks + 4 days (side)

And a bit more...

People have been asking for new pictures of the bump. I didn't realise how attractive a pregnant woman's bump can be! Anyway, I am happy to oblige. I must say, my little bump is still quite little and doesn't grow as fast as you people would like. However, you can definitely start to see something. My tummy is no longer flat, if it has ever been.

You also tell me that the shape of my bump will help you *determine* whether I am expecting a girl or a boy...so here are two very recent pictures. What do you think?

Vale 16+2 (front)

Vale 16+2 (side)

Make sure you vote, time is ticking :)

Boy or Girl?

In a month time hopefully we will find out if Baby O is a bambino or a bambina, a sweet baby boy or a sweet baby girl. And I can't wait! And not because I particularly want one or the other, but simply because I want to start buying things for this little bundle of joy. Someone has got to spoil baby O!

Since the very first moment I started telling people that I was pregnant, I have been hearing all sorts of reasons why I am definitely expecting a girl, or why there is no doubt that I am having a boy. The sickness, the hormones, the cravings, the shape of the belly...I find all these feelings and thoughts quite funny and cute. 

Now, I thought it would be fun to play a little game and see what you all think. Are we having a boy or a girl? Cast your vote. You have time until April 13th. The satisfaction of knowing that you got it right is priceless! :)

Is Baby O a girl or a boy?

COS is the word!

After getting a bit frustrated with maternity clothes and panicking on what I will be wearing in the upcoming months, I have finally realised that I don't in fact need to look for maternity clothes, or at least I don't need to limit myself to the boring and dull maternity clothes available in shops these days.

As I am slowly starting to feel a bit better, last Saturday I ventured a shopping trip to Covent Garden with my friend Ilaria. We mostly did some window shopping but then we stumbled across COS and I decided to give it a try. With its Marni style cuts (at a much lower price!), there were quite a few things I could try on and I even ended up buying two dresses: a half-knitted half-silk navy midi dress and a knitted blue and white dress. There were many other things I could have bought but I want to wait for my bump to expand a bit more to make sure that I will indeed be able to fit in these lovely dresses.

The following items are on my wish list at the moment:

I actually tried this on and loved it. However, I tried the Medium and it was a bit too big. They didn't have a Small. But I will go back! And who knows, maybe I will need a M in a few weeks....

It looks like I may be wearing a lot of navy stuff!

And these are some of the looks I may still be able to rock, even with a bigger bump! Thank you COS!

To be continued....

From Nothing To Something

Two weeks have gone by since we made our little secret public. Not much has been happening, really. I am still struggling with nausea, at this point I fear I may be one of the *lucky* ones who have it for the entire pregnancy. But, life goes on and thankfully I am still able to be happy and appreciate how blessed we are.

I have started to have the urgent need to show a bump, even if little. And, very slowly, I guess, we are getting there. Before you say anything, I know that my bump is still pathetic but it is growing a tiny bit a a time. And let's not forget, I am not used to this at all. My weight has been the same (=52 kg) since I was a teenager! So, my body needs its time to adjust to the new status!

 

Vale 14 weeks +1 day

Of course, I am still wearing my normal clothes. Dresses are a bit more comfortable these days, but otherwise there is no need to invest in maternity clothes yet. Also, I am so disappointed at designers. I cannot believe in 2012 maternity clothes still look so dull. I will stick to normal clothes for as long as I can. My concern is the two weddings I have in Italy between the end of June and mid-July; by then I will be almost seven months and I am assuming the bump will be a little bit bigger than now :) I need two cool dresses. If you see anything out there, I value any suggestion!

It's Official!

So, now that the word has spread on Facebook, I guess I can say it out loud that I am pregnant! Many of you have been asking for details and updates. So, this blog will be the place where I will inform you of all the little things going on with us at the moment. So stay tuned if you want to follow our little adventure!

It all became clear in Italy on December 28th. I had an appointment with my gynecologist for the usual checks. During the internal scan I noticed an *interesting* expression on her face. Hence the question: Could you be expecting? And for the first time in my life I found myself answering with a yes. There was absolutely nothing in sight, just a little bit of movement that made my extremely scrupulous doctor question what was going on? I was sent to the lab next door to take a blood test to check the HCG, an hormone produced during pregnancy. I was in the lab for two minutes at most. Left my mobile number and went to visit a friend, who incidentally had just given birth to a wonderful baby girl. On my way back home I received the phone call, where a loud and excited doctor screamed: "Valentina, you are pregnant!" and then gave me all the details of the value of the hormone and how far they thought I was. Needless to say I was on cloud nine! And so were my parents and grandmum, as you can imagine. Rob was in the States, still peacefully sleeping. It was the best Christmas gift! 

Back to London, life went on as normal. Well, kinda. I suddenly started feeling exhausted and out of breath. All my energy had been sucked away. The first few weeks, however, went by relatively smoothly. January 9th was when everything changed drastically. I woke up and experienced the strongest nausea I have ever had in my life. Since then, every day has been the same. I am now in week 13 and do really hope things will get better at some point soon. 

The biggest thing to report at the moment is definitely the first scan. We had it last Monday and it was simply amazing. For the first time we saw Baby O (this is how we call IT for now until we find out the sex and agree on the name). 

Baby O 12 weeks + 5 days

Until now we didn't even know whether there was one baby or two or even more in my belly. Considering how sick I had been feeling, I started to think that perhaps twins were on the way. Needless to say, Rob was scared at this! I would have loved it, instead! But no, only one. Baby O was super active at the time of the scan and we struggled to get a clear picture of IT. It was so much fun to see IT moving all over the place (yes, in such a small place!), flipping and spinning. It made us laugh. However, the most touching moment of the scan was by far when we heard the heart beat, strong and loud. It was breathtaking and a little tear came out. Together with the scan we did a couple of other checks to make sure that the baby is growing well and there is no anomaly detectable at the moment. We left the hospital with a big smile on our faces. And I have to say, I loved St. Thomas' Hospital. So everything is going well so far. 

At the scan we were given a new due date, as of right now Baby O is expected to be born on August 29th but things may change, of course. And given that I was premature (I was born more than a month before the due date), there is a high chance our baby may be born a bit earlier too. 

As for me, I am still struggling with nausea and vomit. I still get very tired. And I still don't look pregnant! Rob took a picture of me on Saturday to keep it as a record. If anything, I look even skinnier and drained. But the nausea will have to stop at some point and finally I will start showing, I hope!

Vale 12 weeks + 3 days

Paul and Joe Cat-Inspired Make Up

I have been a fan of the quirkiness of Paul and Joe Make Up line for as long as I can remember but the new cat-inspired collection is beyond cute. Don't you just love the lipsticks? If you, like me, are a cat lover, you are gonna want this stuff!